Introduction (1969 - ...)

I've always been interested in cars. Ever since I can remember I was walking around with Matchbox cars, building roads in the sand box and singing on my tricycle pretending it to be the car radio (Loud music in cars....... I must have been an early Billy Bremner fan :-) ). In the early 70s going to my grandparents in Friesland always was a great happening, because it meant I would go out with my dad to rent a car. In most cases this was a red or yellow Ford Taunus, something like in the picture on the right.

Renault 16 L (1975 - 1977)

In 1975 (I was six than) a new addition to the family was on it's way and my parents decided to buy their first own car. They looked at a Skoda (for crying out loud! I still have the brochures though :-) ), but finally went for a second hand Renault 16 L (I think it was a model 1969). This had always been my fathers dream car, but this particular specimen turned out to be closer to a nightmare. It was white, but I can't remember this car in any other way than with large patches of brownish red Corroless anti rust coating all over it. The car seized to be in march 1977, after falling from a jack and damaging it's axle.

After short deliberation my parents decided to buy an other Renault. A visit to the dealer was made and a few weeks later, on May 12th 1977 (the day after my birthday!) I went to this dealer with my very broad smiling dad for the delivery of our Renault 12 TL. It was build in 1974 and had this weird green colour, number R906 (Thanks to Carlo Spiering for providing the colour number! He still drives a R12 TR with the same color). This 12 had been owned by one of the mechanics that worked at this dealer and had kept the car in pristine condition.

The R12 got us (my mum, dad and four kids) everywhere from 1977 until my dad got ill in 1984. My parents managed to stash the four of us on the backseat of this lovely car and we had countless fights over who was to sit near one of the windows. In these years I must have read every Donald Duck that lay on the rear shelf at least a hundred times. Being the eldest son I outgrew my mum, sister and brothers rapidly and soon had the privilege of driving in the front seat beside my dad. Otherwise we didn't fit :-) I earned my pocket money washing this car and always could be found near my dad, when he was working on it, handing him tools, bringing him coffee and such.

One memorable trip with this car was to the Ardennes on a Sunday in July 1982. After a trip of some four hours we arrived at this nice little town to find that the small house we had hired was little short of a ruin. So after we paused for a short while we packed up again and drove all way back. On the right you can see our R12 with our small trailer behind it on the late afternoon of this faithful day, just after we arrived back home. Even though my dad had heavy duty shock absorbers fitted on the back axle, the soft French suspension is still showing. When leaving the Ardennes back for home the tow bar dragged on a threshold we had to pass before pulling up the (bumpy) road. After this adventure we had one of the nicest summers ever, looking back at it!

After my dad passed away in 1985 my mother sold the R12 to the son of our neighbours. He drove it to the junk yard within weeks, because he couldn't afford a new tailpipe. All that is left of this Renault 12 is the license plate of the trailer (snif).

Renault Clio RN 1.2 (1999 - Today)

There's a new toy in town......

The star of this cyber show (my Renault 18, in case you hadn't noticed) entered service in our family in February 1987. She proofed to be a very worthy successor of the R16 and R12 outliving both of her predecessors by far, both in number of years and mileage. My sister and I chauffeured ourselves and our family around in this car for a number of years and later she became my daily means of transportation.

After I got a new job in 1998 the kilometres I drove each month increased to about 3.000. Although in good shape for her age, these amounts took their toll on the than 17 year old car with 160.000+ km on the clock. After having a jammed left break overhauled, a homocinetic cover of the right drive axle and the left back coil spring replaced in just a few months, I started to become fed up with waiting for parts and even more of anticipating what would be the next part to fail. After the law enforced periodic technical check-up (APK in the Netherlands) I made up my mind. It was time to look for a reliable replacement for my treasured but definitely ageing set of French wheels. I informed after prices of good second hand cars and visited my dealer in Abcoude. Considering my budget at first I opted for a Twingo, but after test driving a new model Clio I was sold..........

To be continued.....

Sparta GF 50 Sport (1962 - Today)

The odd one out...

OK, it's not a car and it isn't a Renault either, but it outlived all other cars mentioned on these pages by decades, run more than 130.000 kilometres and is still in pristine condition after four decades, so I thought it at least deserves an honourable mention here.
Presenting my dad's Sparta GF 50 Sport. This moped was manufactured by the Dutch company Sparta in the early sixties. They stopped making mopeds in the seventies and today everyone associates Sparta with bicycles with a very small two stroke engine ('Sparta met') for elderly ladies who still want to cycle but lack strength to go far......

Well both types of Sparta run on two stroke engines, but there the comparison stops. This machine is an entirely different piece of equipment!!! It was purchased by my dad in 1962 and brought him to and from his work every day until 1972. We moved to a new home in 1971 and got a lot better public transport connection there, so the Sparta got a quieter life, standing in our small shed in the garden. After my parents bought the Renault 16 in 1975 it has not been on the road again as far as I can remember. My dad cleaned and serviced it every two or three years and than put it back to storage again. After my dad passed away it stayed there...... until the summer of 2001. I wanted to get the Sparta out for a long time and tiding the shed at my mum's house with my youngest brother on a sunny afternoon was a good excuse.

After cleaning, dusting and waxing the bike, getting air in the tires (they weren't completely flat!) I tried to start it. To our amazement after a few strokes, some sputtering and blue fumes from the exhaust, the old Sparta came to life again after nearly 20 years! My smile must have went from ear to ear!!! (And I figure my dad smiled down at us at the same time :-) )
I drove the street up and down three times and than put her back to sleep. When I have sufficient room to store, I plan to put the old Sparta to operational status again, to tour on the bike on sunny day's. (It might become difficult to choose between the Renault 18 and the Sparta!)